Students Test Inflatable Mars UAV

Students from the University of Kentucky have designed a prototype UAV
for Mars exploration with inflatable wings. The robotic glider is called
BIG BLUE
(Baseline Inflatable Glider Balloon Launched Unmanned Experiment). The
goal of the project was to test the system by lofting the UAV to 100,000
feet using a balloon, inflate the wings, then release the glider for a
controlled flight back to the base. A new NASA article
describes the basics of the project. A map tracking the
flight and links to more photos are available from EOSS, the
provider of the balloon launch services. A
previous high-altitude glider project by another group used fixed
wings and lauched from a lower altitude last year.